Three Weeks in the Midwest: Cleveland
After a very jolly ten days in St. Louis, the next stop on my mid-western jaunt was Cleveland, another city that I know well. I have been there many times often experiencing some dramatic weather. My début with the Cleveland Orchestra was nearly cancelled because of a large snowstorm on Valentine’s Day and several concerts at Blossom have been accompanied by spectacular thunderstorms. On this visit, apart from flying in on a very windy evening where my little plane was buffeted about in a rather alarming way, the rest of my time in the city was without snow or anything dramatic.
Instead of being with the Cleveland Orchestra, this time I was working with Apollo’s Fire. We performed Handel’s Messiah. Although I must have conducted the piece over 150 times, these were my first performances since Hogmanay 2020 in Glasgow nearly two years before. Therefore, it was especially good to come back to the work after an unusually long gap. I must say that the chorus did exceptionally well and their exemplary diction was all the more remarkable for having to sing masked. Our first concert was in St. Bernard’s Church in Akron and it was an astonishingly beautiful place to perform; not only that but the acoustics were superb.
We were all thrilled that the concert was completely packed.
Another of the concerts was in the Cleveland Art Museum, a place that with Severance Hall is a jewel in the city’s crown. Every time I am there, I always try to visit the museum at least once. The collection is terrific as is the new part of the building which has so cunningly been attached to the old wing. My favourite painting is a portrait of Hugh Hope by the incomparable Scottish artist Sir Henry Raeburn. He gives off an air of a man of promise with a bright future before him but sadly he died of a fever while in India in 1822 when he was barely forty.
Although we had five performances, there was a little bit of time for some terrific meals and other non-musical activities.
My hotel had only one thing that I found hard to take: its excellent breakfast was accompanied by annoyingly loud Christmas music of the worst kind turning the place into sort of Jingle Hell. Even an album of Perry Como would have been an improvement. Therefore, I had to seek a quieter place which luckily turned out to be just around the corner. The Coffee House isn’t perhaps the most original name for a café but it is superb. Located in an old house, it is pleasingly quaint and blissfully silent after the Shopping Mall music at the hotel. The coffee was very good indeed but it was the baked goods that stole the show. One morning I asked where the croissants were made and the cheerful lady behind the counter informed me that everything came from the kitchen in the basement. No wonder everything was so warm and fresh. I particularly enjoyed their savoury scones, something I got a taste for in New Zealand and Australia. These ones had cheddar in them with the addition of dill and black pepper. I could not find an exact recipe but this one is close enough and then one merely needs to add plenty of dill.
Savoury Scones
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
⅔ cup sharp cheddar
2 to 3 teaspoons cracked black pepper
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup heavy cream or egg wash
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a big bowl.
3. Cut cold cubes of butter into the flour mixture until the butter is completely incorporated and the mixture has obtained a fine, mealy texture.
4. Add the cheese and black pepper and mix well together.
5. Fold in the buttermilk and mix until just combined and the mixture has formed into a dough.
6. Split the dough into 2 discs and place in fridge for about 30 minutes.
7. Once chilled, flatten the discs to about ½ inch thick and cut each into 8 wedges.
8. Brush tops of each scone with a small amount of cream (or egg wash) and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the scones puff up and the tops just start to brown.
What a great way to start the day!
Ask any musician who is on tour a lot, and you will hear that the highlight of any trip is to be invited for a home-cooked meal with friends rather than endure the eternal round of dining in restaurants no matter how fine the cuisine. During my frequent visits to Cleveland, I have got to know the Haigh family, all wonderful musicians, generous hosts and superb cooks. Scott Haigh is First Assistant Principal Bass of the Cleveland Orchestra and his wife Margi Griebling-Haigh is a terrific composer. Their daughter studied at Cambridge University and the San Francisco Conservatory. She is an excellent singer who sang the role of Benjamin in my recording of Handel’s Joseph. We will meet her and her husband again in the next episode of this blog.
Every time I come to Cleveland, I have been delighted to accept an invitation from them and I know that I will be in for a treat! One of the appetizers that I have adored there are these scrumptious shrimp cups. They look very fancy and are totally delicious.
Mystery Shrimp Salad Appetizers
Makes 24. It's always fun to make people guess what's in these.
Equipment
Mini muffin tin with 24 compartments (or, obviously, 2 of them with 12 compartments)
Pastry brush
Ingredients
24 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil
12 ounces large raw deveined shrimp
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I always use Hellman's)
2 tablespoons mango chutney
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup golden raisins
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro + extra leaves for garnish
1/2 teaspoon Thai green curry paste* (quite spicy, so adjust this according to the audience but use at least a little for the flavor!)
Method: Wonton Cups
Preheat the oven to 325º F.
Brush the insides of all the muffin compartments with vegetable oil.
CAREFULLY place a wonton wrapper into each compartment, allowing its four corners to drape over the edges so that each wrapper resembles a handkerchief or a tiny napkin in a breadbasket.
Bake the wonton wrappers for 10-12 minutes until they are light golden brown.
Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
These can be made AGES in advance as long as they are stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Method: Shrimp Salad
Drop the shrimp into a medium pot of simmering water.
When it has all just turned pink, drain it and peel it.
Chop each shrimp into thirds and set it aside.
Mix the mayonnaise, lime juice, chutney, golden raisins, chopped cilantro, and green curry in a medium mixing bowl.
Stir in the shrimp.
The salad can also be made ahead and kept covered in the fridge for a day or two.
Assembly
To avoid soggy wonton wrappers, assemble these appetizers no more than 15-20 minutes before serving.
Simply load up each wonton wrapper with about a tablespoon of the shrimp salad and garnish with a single cilantro leaf.
Note: Mixed with farfalle pasta, the shrimp salad can also make a delicious picnic entrée.
Finally, I must not forget to mention my favourite bistro in Cleveland, L’Albatros, which is luckily very close to my hotel. It has all the French classics, as well as amazing cocktails. I always have a dozen oysters every time I go there and they make the most delicious Sauce Mignonette to accompany them. I am not a fan of the goopy, tomato/horseradish sauce so ubiquitous in the USA, mostly because it only serves to conceal the briny taste of the oysters themselves. Sauce Mignonette is however perfect. Their recipe is a state secret but here is one from Hog Island Oyster Company much nearer home. They have several online, including one with the jolly name of Hogwash!
Sauce Mignonette
Ingredients
Peels from two of your favorite citrus (like blood orange, cara cara, meyer lemon, grapefruit)
1 shallot, finely diced
1 cup champagne vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
Cracked black pepper
Recipe Preparation
Cut off citrus fruit and most of the white pith from the inner part of the peels. Cover peels in water in a small saucepan, add a couple pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, strain. Repeat the process with fresh cold water and salt a total of three times. This removes the bitterness from the peels.
Combine sugar with one cup of water and simmer the peels until translucent. Take off heat and let cool.
In a small bowl, combine shallots and vinegar with a few pinches of cracked black pepper. Finely dice candied citrus peel, add to vinegar mixture.
Perfection!!!!
The next stop on my Midwestern tour will take us to Chicago for some excellent Italian food and some killer cocktails!